[Real Madrid](https://www.managingmadrid.com) coach Xabi Alonso spoke from Charlotte after securing his first victory in charge with a 3-1 win over Mexican team Pachuca in the FIFA Club World Cup, addressing a number of topics including the fracas at the end of the game involving Antonio Rüdiger and Pachuca players as Alonso explained that, “Toni told us something, the FIFA protocol has been activated and it’s being investigated. We believe him. It’s unacceptable”.
### **Xabi Alonso on goals from midfield**
“I’m not going to take credit for that. But we did talk about it during the cooling break. They have the quality and their finishing is fantastic. It was a difficult situation. We were disciplined and controlled the game without the ball. The goals gave us confidence. It’s a victory that strengthens us.”
### **Xabi Alonso on Thibaut Courtois’ saves**
“Defending so deep was because we were a man down. You have to be humble to interpret that moment, and that’s what we did. What we prepared for was with 10 men, we had to understand the situations afterwards.”
### **Xabi Alonso on whether Asencio’s mistake here was avoidable, as he said against Al Hilal**
“Yes.”
### **Xabi Alonso on flexibility**
“We want to understand the context and what the match needs, show intelligence, and we did that.”
### **Xabi Alonso on Kylian Mbappé’s fitness**
“We’ll see, it’s important how he looks, we’re waiting for him.”
### **Xabi Alonso on Pachuca goalscorer Elías Montiel**
“He’s young but doing well at the moment. I’ve seen him play in the two previous matches, and you can tell he’s got good skills and a bright future.”
### **Xabi Alonso on the heat**
“There’s nothing I can do... You don’t need to be a naval engineer to understand that lower temperatures would make for better playing conditions.”
### **Xabi Alonso on Fede Valverde**
“I’ve seen few like him. He reminds me a bit of Steven Gerrard, he covers a lot of ground, he has a tremendous shot, he plays anywhere, he gets to everything... All coaches would like to have a Fede on their team. He has washed away the bad taste of the other day with that passionate goal celebration.”
### **Xabi Alonso on Luka Modrić’s last dance**
“It’s exciting, he deserves it for who he is, he should enjoy it. Because all the fans recognise his greatness, even those from other teams. He played another great game.”